Murder Or Self-Defense? Detroit Man On Trial For Shooting Teen Seeking Help

11:21 AM EDT, July 24, 2014

A grieving mother wiped away tears as she testified about her daughter who was shot in the face by a homeowner who claims he was acting in self-defense.

The mother of 19-year-old Renisha McBride took the stand at the sensational Detroit murder trial of 55-year-old Theodore Wafer. He's accused of killing Renisha with a single shotgun blast as she stood on his porch at 4:30 in the morning last November.

This is his 911 call. Wafer: "Uh yes... I just shot somebody on my front porch, with a shotgun, banging on my door."

The hole in the screen door made by the shotgun blast was shown in court during the opening day of the trial this week.

An autopsy found Renisha was drunk and had been smoking pot. She rammed her car and got out, apparently went looking for help in a disoriented state. That's when she knocked on Wafer's door.

Her mom testified about the last time she saw her daughter and how they'd had an argument.

"I fussed at her because the dishes was piled up and the house was a mess," testified the mother.

The trial is being compared to another racially-charged trial that riveted the nation when George Zimmerman was found not guilty of second degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

In dramatic opening arguments, the defense attorney described how Wafer was awakened by loud banging on his door.

The attorney stated to the court, "His heart is racing. Right now, he knows this is not somebody...he doesn't know what it is."

But prosecutors say Renisha McBride did not deserve to die, simply for knocking on a door.